Providence
by Aerias-A-Writer
Summary: NON-YAOI, AU, NO SANGO OR KAGOME. CHAPTERS 5-6 UP! Lauren was kidnapped from school and taken back in time. Who is this red-headed boy with strange dog-like ears? And why does he look so much like a certain well-loved hanyou. Where does Sesshomaru fit in?
1. Kidnapped

Title: Providence

Author: AeriasAWriter

Notes: A story I'm writing for my dear friend Lauren. She's obsessed with a couple of silver-haired brothers and I said I didn't mind writing it for her. Then Eva demanded to be included. Oh, well. There's major cursing (mostly Lauren), lewd remarks (mostly Miroku), and a load of Real folks thrown in in the last couple of chapters. Thereby I say this is Rated-R!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. If I did it would be yaoiful. But Lauren, Eva, and friends are real people and would be offended if they were ripped off of this. So no touchy.

Chapter 1: Kidnapped

Dead leaves rustled softly as Lauren walked along the broken sidewalk. She muttered angrily under her breath and dug her left hand deep into her jacket pocket, balancing her books with her right arm. She cocked a leg back and kicked a jagged stone out of her way with a quiet grunt, watching it bounce into the road. She ignored the overpowering scent of freshly cut grass and morning dew that tickled her nose.

"Fuck this whole damn school! I fucking hate Algebra Two! Damn Mr. Noack to hell and back! Mother fuckin' retards! All of them! Mr. Franco and Mr. Maseck! They're all such damn fucking idiots! Frayed pant legs are fire-hazards?!? How? It's not like we're going to stick our feet into a bonfire any time soon! Or what?!? They got torches that are hidden along the floor of the halls!?!"

Despite her raging anger, Lauren couldn't help but laugh at the imagery that thought managed to bring up. Her sides heaved with laughter. She could just see all of her friends leaping into the air as they tried to avoid the fire that reached out to lick the soles of their feet with tongues of hot flame. The blaze threatening to catch the frayed pants' strings on fire.

"Holy crap! Jump Jonathan! Watch your feet! Kristina! Climb onto those lockers! If you don't, your pants will catch on fire and you'll get burned!"

She fell silent then, crossing the width of the bus lane, ever moving closer to the doors of the much dreaded school.

"I'm so damn glad that I graduate this May. Just two more months of school to go. That's all I have got to remember. Only two more freakin' months!"

She sighed heavily, letting the air escape her lungs.

Lauren glanced up at the school and trudged up the front of the big gray building. She was going to regret getting out of bed today, she just knew it. She looked down to watch her feet shuffle along the dirty cement, her red shoelaces flopping around, and her black hi-tops duly showing the wear and tear of everyday use.

Somebody suddenly slammed into her, as if they had not been watching where they were running, knocking her onto her butt. The new pair of jeans she'd had to go home to change into were now filthy.

"Aaagggghhhhh!!! Dammit! Watch where the hell you're going!" She scrambled for her text books as the school bell rang. "Fuck! There goes the damn bell!"

_Damn, I hate it when I'm right!_ she thought angrily.

She heard a throat clear and looked up to notice a large, yet slim hand held out to her. She blinked rapidly. Someone was trying to be nice? To her? Then her gaze followed the hand up the arm to the strong, broad shoulders, and further to the boy's rather handsome and attractively boyish face. She slowly, hesitantly took the offered hand and let the boy pull her to her unsteady feet, all the while reminding herself to keep breathing.

Lauren studied him intently, struggling not to laugh aloud at his somewhat strange and unusual appearance. He just looked so out of place to the petite red-head.

The boy stared back at her as they looked each other over. Lauren smirked, his attentively serious face seemed at odds with his amused eyes. He was at least a foot taller than her, she duly noted with a satisfied sound as she had to look up at him. His reddish-golden hair fell well below his mid-back, it was below his waist even.

_Going for heavy metal rock star?_ she wondered, amused.

Then, when she finally looked up to see the color of his greenish-gray-blue eyes, she noticed that he was blatantly staring back at her. Not only was he entertained by her, but he continued to just smile, friendly to the end. She had to fight to repress the sudden urge to growl at him.

So she took a step back to study his bizarre, outlandish clothing. He was wearing a fiery red kimono, she smiled when she realized that she actually knew what it was called, and had a string of blue and white beads around the thin, pale column of his neck.

Lauren's eyes widened slightly as her gaze came to rest on a sword that hung low at his side, firmly tied to his belt-like sash. It was sheathed in an old leather sheath that appeared to be custom made for the older, plainer looking sword. She curiously peered a little closer at the sword and saw that the thin blade looked amazingly like an old samurai sword, like something she'd find in a museum. She glanced up at the boy's face and wondered if he knew how to fight with the blade.

_That'd be so cool if he did! _Lauren thought, tilting her head to the side.

Continuing her gaze downward, however, she realized that he was barefoot. The pale skin of his feet strangely contrasting with the ground when all she was used to seeing was a colorful assortments of shoes. She grimaced in sympathy when she thought about what would happen if he stumbled upon a pile of broken glass.

Then she caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up. And there they were. A pair of strangely, dog-like ears, almost hidden in the mass of his hair. The ears twitched yet again and Lauren shrieked, stepping back, trying to get away from the strange and decidedly creepy boy.

"Oh. My. God." The words tumbled from Lauren's mouth in a weird, high-pitched squeak and she openly gaped at the taller boy. He chuckled heartily at her opening and closing mouth, her pale oval face looking remarkably like an impression of a fish.

Her wide eyes then rapidly grew twice as large as the tall boy stepped closer to her, now invading her personal space. He gently began to check her over, wiping the traces of dust and dirt from her fairly rumpled clothing. Lauren shook herself out of it and began to glare.

"You are in my BUBBLE!"

He smirked down at her, ignoring her outcry before he fairly easily picked her up and began running with her in his arms back the way he had come. Lauren threw her arms around his pale neck with a loud earth-shattering scream and watched her heavy school books hit the dirty and wet ground again. Not that she minded losing her text books so much. But she abruptly remembered the type of stuff that the news channels reported on when people were kidnapped.

_Damn, it's always the quiet ones you have to worry about!_

"Oh, shit! Put me down, dammit! Where the hell do you think you are taking me?!? I demand that you leave me the hell alone!!!"

The tall boy chuckled softly, his chest rumbling faintly as Lauren pressed her head to it, listening to his heart beat. She loosened her death grip to lift her head up and look into his amused eyes. She was more than just slightly unnerved by how fast the trees seemed to be slipping by. The boy carrying her was not even breathing hard.

"Do not look so worried, my dear. I would never dream of hurting you, not in a hundred million years. You are very important to me."

Lauren blinked, rapidly.

"I am? Why?"

The boy smiled again, but didn't answer. He merely continued running, the wind whipping at their clothing as Lauren realized that they were following the highway. They followed Highway 290 out of town and towards the capital. She shivered in awe at the boy's stamina and endurance as they passed ranches, convenience stores, and even cars.

"Why did you take me?"

Nothing. The boy ignored her as he dodged a tree and ran past it. She sighed heavily, getting the feeling that her kidnapper may be one of those strong and silent types that only talk when they have to. She looked forward in the direction they were heading.

He began to slow then, approaching a fenced in cement yard with hundreds of pipes jutting heavenward from the ground. Lauren watched as he quickly strode towards a hole in the fence, merely ducking his head to enter into the yard. Though he was sure to tighten his grip on her so she didn't fall out of his arms. She squeaked in alarm at the feel of being pressed to his chest even harder than she had been.

He hurriedly walked between the huge yard of pipes to the other side. And there, off to the right side under an oak tree stood an old dried-up well complete with a large concrete lid over the mouth. Which he strode towards immediately, a grin on his lips. Lauren eyed it with a disgusted look of suspicious distaste.

"You still haven't answer me!" she said, hotly.

He chuckled softly once more and set Lauren on the ground like she was some one-of-kind of ultra rare and delicate china. He eyeballed the heavy concrete lid on the well. He reached under it with both hands and Lauren rolled her eyes.

_There's no way that boy could pick up that lid. It says that it's five hundred pounds._

She gasped audibly as, with a smile, he lifted the five-hundred pound lid off the well's large mouth quite easily. Then he tossed it aside, just as easily. And Lauren felt the earth shake as it hit the ground some fifty feet away, crushing a section of the chain link fence. Lauren struggled not to let her fear overcome her. Her face was looking much like that of an owl with her eyes as wide as they were when she turned back to face the boy. She caught herself and with a grimace shook herself out of her 'unreasonable' fear.

"Can I at least know your name?"

She placed her hands on her hips as she looked up at him. The boy laughed aloud at her exasperated tone, she only barely managed not to let her fear bleed into the words. His broadest grin yet settled across his almost angelic face.

"Maybe on the other side," he said, downright cheerful as he gently pulled Lauren up over his broad shoulder. She screamed when he climbed up onto the stone rim and quickly jumped into the dark depths of the old well. She heard a chuckle escape the boy's lips as he hit the floor of the deep dark pit. But felt it as his shoulder hit her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Lauren began to pound his back with her fists, furious. She screamed again when she heard his soft laugh grow a little louder.

"You idiot! How the hell can we climb out now!?! What the fuck is going on?!? First you kidnap me off the school grounds, then you run off to a dried up old well, and THEN YOU DROP US DOWN THE FUCKING DRIED-UP OLD WELL!!!"

She screamed at the boy and his ears twitched forward slightly, he seemed to grow more than slightly annoyed.

"Father was indeed correct about you," he whispered softly in the pitch black pit.

Lauren paused, her hands slowing of their own accord, and tried to see the boy through the darkness. The eerie sound of the wind blowing over the top of the well startled her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, her voice softened to little more than a mere whisper.

She felt the boy shrug almost imperceptibly before crouching down, low to the ground. He sprang up with Lauren still on his shoulder and easily jumped well clear of the deep pit. Lauren blinked into the sudden light, bewildered.

The red-haired girl waited for her eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight. Closing them and then opening them back up again. The sunlight hadn't been that bright when they had jumped into the well. She finally got her eyes to focus and she took a look around.

She took in the scene of the deep forest with a sharp gasp, startled. The old, gnarled trees, the dense, clinging undergrowth, the colorful, wild flowers, and even a small, gray rabbit that hopped away in fright. Hundreds of different birds chirped loudly in the tall redwood trees overheard and the squirrels chattered loudly at each other as the wild life resumed what they were doing. Her gaze softened.

_At least this is better than being at home with my mother when she in one of her lazy moods._

The tall boy lifted Lauren off his shoulder and placed her gently on her own two feet in the tall, soft grass. She shook her shoes free on the dripping dew before tilting her head off to the side. She gazed up at him with a curious look. With another glance around the small clearing she exhaled noisily.

"And my name is Inutaisho," he said softly. Her eyes returned to look over him a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"That's a sweet name. How'd you end up with it?" She asked just as softly, she reached over to pick up a small shiny stone at the foot of a big tree beside the well. Inutaisho smiled disarmingly, his hand coming to rest on his hip.

"It was my paternal grandfather's name."

"Cool! I bet he loved you a lot to let your parents name you after him. He's probably proud to have you carry on his name like that." Inutaisho's pale face colored a rosy pink and he cleared his throat harshly. Lauren arched a single delicate eyebrow.

"Well, he didn't know. He died a long time before my parents even met. My father wanted to name me after him because he missed him."

"Whoa, that's totally deep. Your father sounds like a really great guy."

Lauren rolled the smooth stone between her fingers as Inutaisho nodded in complete agreement. He flashed her a smile, but ended up staring down at the ground. His ears twitched and he frowned very slightly.

"Inutaisho?"

The redhead boy looked up at Lauren when she called his name. His eyes narrowed at a soft sound in the trees. Behind him a big, scaly snake-like beast with four feet and two very human looking hands stepped from the woods. Lauren shrieked in horror as it charged towards the two much smaller humanoids beside the well.

Inutaisho unsheathed his blade in a bright flash, which cleared to reveal that the blade had grown larger and now sported a strange fur border around the hilt. The tall boy then leapt high into the still air. Backing away, Lauren fell onto her butt to gaze up at the creature in fear.

His lightning fast downward stroke cleaved the monster's great head in two. Blood gusted out in a wide arc and the huge creature crumpled in on itself. He pulled his blade free with a jerk and leaned down to wipe off the blood on the grass.

Inutaisho snorted in disgust at the strange being and kicked it. The body shuddered in response before lying completely still. He sheathed the sword again quickly before turning back to face Lauren, a sheepish expression on his own handsome face. She stared at the beast behind him with wide eyes, sure that it was quite dead.

"What is th-that horrid thing?"

"A demon," Inutaisho sighed, "They're quite common in this particular section of the kingdom. Especially right at this point in time."

Lauren's eyes widened further and she scrambled to her feet, standing up from where she had fallen. Her mouth worked, opening and closing, without being able to say anything. Her eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously, she found her voice.

"**_WHAT!_** YOU KIDNAPPED ME AND BROUGHT ME TO A PLACE WHERE THEY HAVE A BUNCH OF **_DEMONS!?!_**"

"Yes," he said calmly, his ears twitching. "But I'm stronger than anything in these parts."

"Really!?! Can you be sure of that?!?" Lauren demanded, her eyes narrowing. Inutaisho shifted uncomfortably trying to ignore the sparks that the girl's eyes were practically shooting at him. He sighed.

"Yes."

"Oh. . . well then. . . whatever." Lauren forced herself to calm down as she recalled how easily Inutaisho had thrown aside the five hundred pound lid and slain the demon. She frowned uneasily at the taller boy. "I guess you could be right."

Inutaisho smiled mischievously at her grudgingly given statement. He then quickly strode forward to gently lift her into his arms once more. She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him with all of her might, shaking as he leapt into the air.

Her flushed face was pressed tightly against his broad chest while the wind swept by faster and faster. She opened her greenish-gray-blue eyes curiously, gaping down at the ground which was so suddenly some four hundred-odd feet below her. Inutaisho merely chuckled down at her.

"Like my wings? Flying like this I can go twice as fast than when I'm just running."

Lauren looked over Inutaisho's shoulder and gaped open-mouthed at vast white feathered wings that sprouted from the boy's shoulder blades. Inutaisho smirked proudly before his wings shimmered into great dragon-fly like wings. The giant wings never skipped a downward beat, remaining uninterrupted by the changes. Another shimmer, then he had gigantic bat-like wings with opposable thumb-like appendages.

"They're not only very useful, but they can be fun to play with. Especially when there isn't anything else to do and you're alone."

"That's so awesome! I want my own pair!" Inutaisho chuckled again.

"Sorry. That's a no go. You have to be born with the genes for it." He twisted his body as he maneuvered through the air, artfully manipulating the wind's currents.

"Jeans? Huh? What? Oh, no wait! I know what you mean!" She looked down abruptly and spied a pair of calm golden eyes watching them cross the large expansion of sky.

Lauren ignored the cold gaze of the stare and giggled merrily at the big fluffy white thing that adorned the creature's shoulder. Only briefly noting to herself that it looked like an oversized feather boa. Inutaisho didn't seem to see it or the being that held it though so Lauren didn't say anything to bring attention to the strange creature. Nothing was said as they slowly approached a large lake in the middle of more forest with an open meadow along one side. The blue water sparkling in welcome.

"Over there is a small rural village and within the village lives a well-know old wise woman, who is greatly respected though the nearest villages. Her name is Kaede." Inutaisho pointed a clawed finger to the side. Lauren nodded and looked thoughtful. Then did a double take to gape at the finger.

The boy didn't have claws eariler! Lauren opened her mouth to ask about it but the boy stopped her by talking first.

"And this is where my part of the journey shall end."

"Wait! What the hell do you mean?!?" Lauren asked. She peered up at him through her bangs and frowned. Inutaisho didn't answer right away as he lost altitude and landed on the lake's sandy shore.

"You'll see."

It was all that Inutaisho said as he put Lauren down and stretched out his tender back muscles, the ones that were pulled at the mighty wings. Lauren wobbled and she realized that her legs were asleep. Her rubbed the calves of her legs and grimaced as the feeling of pins and needles ran through them, the blood returning to the flesh.

"If you want a drink, I suggest that you get it now." Inutaisho said softly with a broad toothy grin. Lauren nodded sharply and knelt at the lake's sandy edge. Cupping her hands together, she got a long drink from the cold, fresh water.

Then she scooted back a little from the edge to rest in the tall, cool, shading meadow grasses. Inutaisho also knelt to drink and while he did so, he kept glancing around, his furry dog-like ears twitching to catch all sound.

The teenage girl hesitantly reached over on a whim, running a small hand over the soft down of white feathers that currently covered Inutaisho's broad wings. The boy jerked upright at the unexpected touch. Their eyes met in an intense staring contest as Lauren thought about how cute he was, she opened her mouth.

"Who goes there!?!"

"They're here," Inutaisho muttered softly, turning away towards the newcomers. Lauren turned to see the bent form of an old woman and a taller one of a young man, maybe a teenage boy. The pair drew closer and Lauren's pale eyes widened for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. The boy that came with the old woman seemed to be a mirror image of Inutaisho, except for the minor fact that this boy had silver-white hair and didn't have the massive wings jutting out to the sky from his shoulder blades.

_At least not yet he doesn't, _thought Lauren very sourly.

TBC. . .

An actual incident at our school and Lauren actually did say that in response. We did actually get quite a laugh over the idea of flame throwers in the halls along the floor.


	2. Identical Strangers

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and company, only three purple bunnies from the moon and a blue bunny from Mars. Lauren and Eva insist that they aren't owned by anyone (they are real people) and I own their 'children' all of which are my characters that I made up.

Warnings: Rated R for cussing, violence, and later on a smothering sense of sexuality. AU, non-yaoi (. Lauren wouldn't let me), and no Sango or Kagome (Death to the bitches!).

Author's Rants: I wrote this as a favor to my friend Lauren. More or less a thank you for being an muse when my own doesn't want to work. Especially with Inuyasha, my muse doesn't like half- demons.

Please review! Oh, and this is a reminder that all flames will be used to burn Sango and Kagome at the stake. Even if Lauren threatens to hit me.

Anywayz, on to the story.

Chapter 2: Identical Strangers

"Mistress Kaede, Lord Inuyasha, it is indeed a great honor to meet you both," Inutaisho bowed low to the ground. The two approaching appeared more than a little startled. Lauren merely arched an well-formed eyebrow.

And she watched as the old woman, Kaede, followed her example. But when Kaede's one good eye fell to rest on the string of beads around Inutaisho's pale column of a neck, however, she stopped cold.

Inuyasha paused to look over the two newcomers before him. And while Inuyasha was studying Lauren, Inutaisho took the opportunity to make his gigantic wings vanish. Then Inuyasha turned to face to face the boy that looked so much like him, yet he was aware of the fact that they'd never met each other before. And he wondered how the boy knew who he was and who Kaede was.

Lauren looked back and forth between the puzzled Inuyasha and the humble yet smug Inutaisho. The teenage girl stepped closer and circled the two almost identical boys. She peered first into one startled face and then into the other. Even their eyes were virtually identical except for the color. They both stared at her with bored expressions, yet the tension between them seemed to make the very air crackle.

"WOW! It's like dog-boy comes into two colors!" Inuyasha and Inutaisho both sweat dropped, nearly falling over. Kaede just giggled.

"Aye, indeed it does. And ye-"

"Wait! Why do you look so much like me?" Inuyasha asked of Inutaisho, pausing to sniff the still air. "You even smell sort of like me, but different!"

Inutaisho smirked and bowed even lower than the first time. His eyes never leaving Inuyasha's golden ones.

"Unfortunately, I am unable to disclose who or even what I am." Inuyasha's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Lauren blinked blankly, confused, and Kaede looked thoughtful.

"Why under the eight heavens not?" Inuyasha demanded, heatedly.

"I swore an oath. To both monk and priestess, and on my grandfather's grave, that I would say naught of myself. A holy oath that binds me as surely as the beads around your neck, Inuyasha," he motioned to Kaede's handiwork, "binds you under someone who can wield the word of power."

Inuyasha touched the beads around his neck, a slight blush crossing his pale cheeks. Kaede put a hand over her mouth, at least trying to struggle against the smile that threatened to creep onto her old, weathered face. Lauren, on the other hand, just stood there with her head tilted to the side, confused about the meaning of it all.

"How do you know that about me? Something that only a Kaede and I know!"

Inutaisho smiled, "There is a lot that I know about you that you think is a secret."

Inuyasha paled.

Lauren cleared her throat, catching Inutaisho's gaze. She looked into his eyes, hesitating.

"I don't know what's going on about that!" she said pointing at Inuyasha in general. "But you told me your name. Isn't that considered to be breaking this 'holy' oath that you say you swore?" Lauren asked. Her eyes resting on Inutaisho like a fiery touch.

The boy shook his head and smiled broadly, his fangs coming into clear view.

"No, I was commanded by the one that gave me my task to tell you my name." His eyes twinkled with a mischievously brilliant gleam.

"The same way I was commanded to cast a spell over you. A spell designed to keep you from telling anyone else anything and everything I told I have told you. I cast it over you in the dark depths of the well."

Kaede's head had snapped up at the mention of a spell and glanced over Lauren. She seemed to be studying the girl as she circled around her. Kaede's eye widened and she looked up at Inutaisho to nod. A smile twisting her old lips as she motioned to the teenage girl.

"'Tis indeed a mightily spun spell and very finely made. Ye weave exceptionally well for one so young. This old eye nearly missed the subtle pulsing of the-"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"What the hell!" Inuyasha drew Tetsusiga from it's leather sheath and turned towards where the sound was coming from. The other three on the lake's shore turned as one to where the shouting was getting louder and closer to them.

Suddenly a young man in purple and black monk's robes burst from the woods and into the lakeside meadow. A mob of young men and women from the village right behind him. The mob gave the impression that they were determined to catch the monk.

Inuyasha snorted loudly and sheathed his powerful blade. Kaede and the smiling Inutaisho just shook their heads. The pony-tailed monk was running as fast as he could with a long staff held above his head.

Lauren and Inuyasha could only watch with a morbid sense of curiosity. The amusing spectacle entertaining all four immensely.

The monk ran across the field and paused long enough to bow shortly to Kaede, panting as he did so.

"Morning, Mistress Kaede! Such a lovely day isn't it. I'm sorry but I can't stop to chat for long. I have got to be going! Good-bye!," he said pleasantly. He winked at Lauren and took off running again. The mob getting close enough that the group could now hear their fevered cries.

"Stop groping OUR women!"

"Pervert!"

"Flirt!"

The mob ran past them as if they weren't even there, following the monk around the lake's sandy edge. Kaede burst into laughter when the pursued monk turned to blow kisses to the prettiest girls in the mob. And succeed in getting rocks chucked back at his head.

"Who the hell was that?" Lauren asked.

She stared after the monk until he dived back into the trees of the forest. And she wondered why any 'monk' would wink at her, blow kisses, and be called a groping, flirtatious pervert.

_Probably not a very good one! _She thought.

Lauren decided then and there that, while the monk was sort of cute in a bad boy kind of way, he definitely was not her type.

"That, girl, was a monk named, Miroku. He's a traveling holy man that says he's on a quest. If they don't kill him, ye can meet him later. And I'll be warning ye now, never turn ye backside to him. Or ye'll be regretting it."

Lauren blinked at Kaede's warning.

Inuyasha, however, just snorted.

"And there is, after all, a very slim chance that they won't at the very least try to kill the blasted monk. Miroku just doesn't learn." Inuyasha said with a smirk.

Lauren stared at the white-haired teenager a moment. She then realized that she had seen his smirk before. It was the same smirk she had seen plaster to Inutaisho's face earlier.

She glanced over at the other boy and became conscious of the fact that he hadn't spoken for a while. He was just standing there, silently watching the other three. She noticed that Inuyasha was waiting for a response to his statement from her.

She just nodded.

Lauren felt a bead of sweat drip off of her nose. She was sweating heavily in her black woolen jacket, being way too warm for comfort. The summer sun was beating down with all it's might now. She only half listened as the other three continued to talk.

Lauren unzipped her jacket and pulled it off, tying the sleeves around her waist. She was glad that she had worn the black tank top now, instead of the long-sleeved turtle neck thing that her mother had told her to wear that morning.

It got quiet suddenly and Lauren looked up. Her eyes met golden-yellow ones and she realized that Inuyasha was blushing. She glanced over at Kaede and Inutaisho who were also staring at her as if she were out of her mind.

"What? It's just a tank top for Pete's sake!" Lauren started to get irritated as both Inuyasha and Inutaisho shifted from one foot to the other, trying to look anywhere but at her.

Lauren blushed furiously as it dawned on her what was wrong. To them it was like she had almost stripped naked in front of them. Kaede pulled something from her robe's pocket and held it out to Lauren.

It was a lightweight shawl-like piece of cloth the color of the noon-day sky. Lauren took it reluctantly and wrapped it around her shoulders. Kaede nodded with satisfaction before clearing her throat.

The two teenage boys looked more than a little relieved when they saw that Lauren now had a shawl. This made Lauren blush a little brighter.

"Now. Since we've gotten more than a little off the main topic, I suggest we go back," Inuyasha stated gruffly.

"Aye. Why are ye two here?"

Lauren opened her mouth, but before she could say a single word Inutaisho stepped in front of her. Efficiently cutting her off.

"I'm here solely to declare that I've completed my mission. I have now delivered this girl into your hands. With Lord Inuyasha destined to protect her, I am obliged to return to where I belong, to return to my own home."

Kaede nodded, Inutaisho bowing low before her.

"Wait! WHAT!?! You kidnapped me from my school, not that I mind that so much, and brought me to somewhere I've never been before, and now you're going to leave me with and under the protection of two people I've never met before. And who I know absolutely NOTHING ABOUT!?!"

Kaede and Inuyasha watched wide-eyed as Lauren paced back and forth. A vein on her forehead pulsing dangerously as she vented at the subdued red-headed teenage boy.

Inutaisho glanced over at Inuyasha and winked rakishly before stepping closer to the very pissed off Lauren. She paused her pacing as she saw the smile on his lips.

"Of course I will," he said nonchalantly. Lauren took a deep breath, getting ready to scream at him again. He reached for her hand, pulling her into his strong arms.

Lauren's face caught on fire, her heart beating wildly and her eyes widening in shock. The boy's arms tightened around her and his lips brushed against her cheek.

Inuyasha's jaw dropped and his ribs seemed to tighten within his chest. He suddenly felt the urge to use his blade, but clenched his fists instead. Besides he didn't even know the girl's name yet.

Kaede chocked back a chuckle at Inuyasha's expression.

Lauren was wondering if she should push away or say something when Inutaisho finally spoke again.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine. And I've completed the task set to me by you. Good-bye, Mother."

TBC. . .


	3. Miroku's Bad Habits

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and company, I'm going to go cry now. Lauren and Eva insist that they aren't owned by anyone (they are real people) and I own their 'children' all of which are my characters that I made up.

Warnings: Rated R for cussing, violence, and later on a smothering sense of sexuality. AU, non-yaoi (. Lauren wouldn't let me), and no Sango or Kagome (Death to the bitches!).

Author's Rants: I wrote this as a favor to my friend Lauren. More or less a thank you for being an muse when my own doesn't want to work. I swear my muse gets fussier all the time. Though she does agree that Kagome is a bitch. Poor Inu-chan.

Please review! Oh, and this is a reminder that all flames will be used to burn Sango and Kagome at the stake. Even if Lauren threatens to hit me.

Anywayz, on to the story.

Chapter 3: Miroku's Bad Habits

Lauren froze in the warm circle of Inutaisho's strong arms, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. To her, time seemed to slow as she closed her eyes, then held her breath. Surely she was just dreaming a wild and fantastic dream of nonsense. And surely in a moment she'd wake up from this dream in her own bed, safe and sound.

_Well, _she thought wryly, _as safe and sound as I could be around my mother_.

The teenage girl heard a chuckle close to her ear even as the strong arms that held her trembled in mirth.

"Mother," he called softly, "the truth of this reality won't go away just because you close your pretty little eyes."

Lauren opened her eyes cautiously, looking up into ones so like her own that she wondered why she hadn't noticed by herself.

_Or maybe I did and I was just trying to ignore it because its strange to think of myself as a mother to anyone._

Inutaisho smiled a broad toothy grin and his strange dog-like ears twitched.

"I think I better back away before I get seriously injured."

Lauren blinked, confused, "But I-uh. . . . .what?"

Inutaisho slowly released Lauren, drawing away from the small teenage girl. He then flicked his eyes off to the side. Lauren followed the direction of his glance, her gaze coming to rest on the flushed face of a very irritated Inuyasha. She then glanced back up at her 'son'. His eyes shone with amusement, but on his lips lay a simple smug smirk.

_Why in hell's name is he baiting dog-boy? _Lauren wondered, curiously.

She glance over at Kaede who looked confused, the old woman's eye shifting with a slight nervous energy between the other three. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew something was up.

Lauren glanced back and forth from a very smug, amused looking Inutaisho and a very angry, very pissed off Inuyasha. Inutaisho caught her confused gaze and rakishly winked, Inuyasha's growling got louder.

Lauren was suddenly hit with a realization like a ton of stone bricks. She gasped and stared at the two boys, her mind racing.

_Oh! My! God! That's why Inutaisho and Inuyasha look so much alike! Why Inutaisho said that I was so important to him! And why Inutaisho is now baiting Inuyasha, making him so jealous he can't see straight!_

Lauren felt her face catch fire again and looked down at her small feet. She was just trying to will it all into going away.

"I bid thee farewell, Mistress Kaede." Inutaisho bowed low with respect and winked at Inuyasha as he stood. The silver-haired boy was straining with the effort not to attack the identical strawberry blonde.

Inutaisho chuckled as he leapt high into the air, his wings appearing in a flash of light before he could fall.

And with a last blown kiss to his 'mother', he flew back towards the distant well. The two females left behind stared in awe until he was no longer within view. Inuyasha, however, refused to relax until after he had disappeared beyond the hazy horizon.

Lauren then turned back to the other two and waited. Kaede sighed and looked over at Inuyasha with a searching look. Lauren began to self-consciously dig the toe of her black sneaker into the soft lakeside mud.

"Come, girl," Kaede said, smiling encouragingly. She motioned for Lauren to follow them towards the direction they had come from. Towards the village that Inutaisho had said was near there.

Lauren shuffled along the dirt path behind the other two, her eyes wide at the strange creatures they passed by. Small things that ran from Inuyasha in a fright, but tried to edge closer to the old woman and red-headed teenage girl. The silver haired boy snarled at them until they backed away.

Finally, they reached a small hut on the outskirts of a small quiet village. Lauren stared at the children that played in the middle of the circle of huts. Their parents close by, watching over their play. Lauren turned back to follow the other two up the couple of steps to reach the platform that the hut stood on.

Kaede pulled back the hide that served as a door, entering the small, dark room just beyond. Lauren paused before the threshold, wary of entering a dark room with two people she had just met no more than hour ago.

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow at her as he passed into the hut.

The teenage girl blushed at her cowardice and glared hotly after him. Then she struck her tongue out at him before following him into the cool darkness.

Lauren walked into the center of the room and took a moment to let her eyes adjust. When she could see, she watched Kaede build a fire in her small stone hearth. The old woman motioned for Lauren to sit on a cushion close to the fire, and she did so.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, ignored them both and had already begun to pace the back of the room.

"Mistress Kaede?" A young man's voice called from the doorway.

The three within the room turned back to the door as it opened to reveal a panting young monk in black and purple robes. Miroku smiled as charmingly as he could. His eyes only slightly touched by exhaustion. Kaede just sweat dropped and bid the monk to enter.

"Miroku, what brings you to my hut?" Kaede asked, sweetly smiling. Miroku stepped closer and in the firelight Lauren could make out about five various handprints that had his face pulsing a bright red. And over his left eye was a small cut, probably from a branch that hit him in the face as he ran through the woods. Inuyasha snickered softly as Lauren stared.

"I thought I'd just stop by and see my favorite old wise woman. . . . . . And ask if she had any ointment to spare for an old friend?" Miroku asked with a broad, rakish grin at Kaede.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and withdrew his attention to his pacing. Lauren clutched her sky-colored shawl tightly and turned to see Kaede motion the monk closer as she nodded. The old woman sighed as she began to move bottles and rummage through her shelves.

Kaede muttered under her breath and pulled down a small brown jar, blowing a layer of dust off the top. She pulled Miroku before the fire and began to spread the lotion-like contents thickly on Miroku's red pulsing face. Lauren watched curiously, moving closer to the monk and old woman.

Inuyasha merely continued to pace with another roll of his glowing golden eyes, a look of exasperation on his face.

"Ye know, Miroku, if ye kept ye hands to yeself, ye wouldn't be needing ointment near so often," Kaede said almost snidely.

The monk's eyes sparkled mischievously.

"But Kaede! It's totally worth the pain," he stated very cheerfully. Lauren giggled loudly at Miroku's playful pronouncement, her laughter doubling when the flirtatious monk winked at her once more.

Inuyasha saw the wink and had to struggle to refrain himself from growling menacingly at the monk. So the half-breed settled instead for muttering heatedly under his breath as he paced even faster. Miroku arched an eyebrow.

"Ops, I think I made Lord Inuyasha angry!" Miroku teased lightly. Lauren watched as Inuyasha flexed his hands, first one hand and then the other. His claws catching the weak firelight and reflecting it back.

Suddenly Miroku was pinned against the back wall, inches away from a very quick yet painful death. The teenage girl sat up and her widened in interest. Kaede just sighed heavily with a shake of her old head.

"Never," Inuyasha hissed, "Never laugh at me!" He pulled Miroku off his feet and bashed him into the wooden wall, "Got me?"

Miroku nodded quickly, his dark eyes wide, startled. Kaede leaned closer to Lauren, raising a hand so the two males couldn't hear what she whispered to the girl.

"To bad Miroku's too stupid to be scared," she chuckled. Lauren only nodded vaguely at Kaede's statement. Inuyasha glanced over at the two women and his gaze met Lauren's. The silver-haired teenaged boy dropped the young monk and went back to his pacing.

"Well, you have an interesting way of showing off your over-active temper and your flaring sense of jealousy," Miroku said, lightheartedly wiping the dust from his clothing. Inuyasha shot him a fierce glare and growled in warning. Miroku waved his arms in front of him defensively, "Okay! Okay!"

Kaede looked up at Inuyasha, a grin crossing her wrinkled old face.

"Inuyasha, come and join us," she motioned to the small pot that she had hastily shoved over the fire. "I'll even make your favorite calming tea."

Inuyasha glared daggers at the old woman and hmpfted loudly. He only continued to pace at a furious rate. Lauren glanced at the other two and back at Inuyasha. Miroku sat next to the old woman keeping an eye of the half-breed.

_Why he's nothing but a bully! _She thought angrily.

"Would you just stop all that pacing and just SIT!!!"

Inuyasha's bead necklace glowed and suddenly the half-breed teenager face-planted onto the hut's wooden floor.

TBC. . .


	4. Lauren's Powers

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and company, I just wish I did so I could really, really mess things up. . Lauren and Eva insist that they aren't owned by anyone (they are real people) and I own their 'children' all of which are my characters that I made up.

Warnings: Rated R for cussing, violence, and later on a smothering sense of sexuality. AU, non-yaoi (. Lauren wouldn't let me), and no Sango or Kagome (Death to the bitches!).

Author's Rants: I wrote this as a favor to my friend Lauren. More or less a thank you for being an muse when my own doesn't want to work. Which is quite a bit of the time. And with that said onto other matters. If you've gotten this far in the story than you've realized I have a thing for cliffhangers. They're so much fun to use.

Please review! Oh, and this is a reminder that all flames will be used to burn Sango and Kagome at the stake. Even if Lauren threatens to hit me.

Anywayz, on to the story.

Chapter 4: Lauren's Powers

"What the hell was that!?!"

Lauren screamed, jumping to her feet. Inuyasha sat up slowly and rubbed his reddened nose with his right hand. Miroku and Kaede climbed to their feet to stare, shocked. The half-breed teenager with silver hair looked up at the startled Lauren to glare hotly.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!?" Inuyasha yelled loudly as he stood up, still glaring at Lauren. His lean frame towering over the small petite girl much as Inutaisho had. She glowered right back at the taller boy.

"My name is Lauren! And don't you dare yell at me, asshole!" Lauren shouted back, jabbing her index finger as hard as she could into his broad chest. He brushed her hand away as easily as if it weren't there at all.

"Bitch!" He sneered, raising his claws, "I could cut you down here and now!" He growled down at the red-headed girl, who in turn growled back at him then yelled.

"Would you just SIT!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, "SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!"

The brightly colored blue beaded necklace glowed once more. And Inuyasha busted through the wooden planked floor to find himself entrenched in the ground below. He sat up in his body's outline and sat there growling loudly, deep in his throat.

Lauren flicked him off with both hands. Then she proceeded to stomp back over to the cushion to sit down once more. She pulled the light-weight shawl closer and attempted to ignore the growling dog-boy that watched her with a deadly gaze.

Miroku's jaw dropped and he stared at the very pissed off Lauren, glancing at Inuyasha then back again. His dark eyes were filled with awe and fascination.

Kaede just rubbed her hands on the small blue towel she picked up, looking thoughtfully on Lauren.

"Inuyasha," Kaede called sweetly, "since ye broke a hole in my floor, ye shall fix it. Along with the girl there."

"WHAT!?!" Inuyasha yelled, climbing out of the hole shaking off the dirt like so much water. Lauren crossed her arms and then glared fiercely at the loud teenage boy with his strange dog-like ears.

"I didn't even do anything! It was all her fault! She did IT. . . . . Somehow!"

Kaede opened her mouth to say something, but Lauren beat her to it.

"The first time was a fucking accident! And if you hadn't yelled at me and then threatened my life I wouldn't have done it again!" Lauren huffed disgustedly at Inuyasha. His golden eyes narrowed in response.

"Bit-"

"Watch it, mother fucker! I swear to god I'll do it again! And you'll do all the god damned repairs by yourself. I didn't ask to be here after all, shit head! I have no major problems about going back home right now if you take me to that shit hole of a dried up old well!" She screamed turning red. Even Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock.

"After all, four hours ago I was safe and sound at home with my damn dogs, my fucking horses, and my jackass of a mother! If you don't want me here, then fine! Take me to the fucking well!"

Lauren turned away from the others, holding back tears. She was hit by a sudden bout of homesickness. Kaede and Miroku glowered at Inuyasha who crossed his arms defensively, snarling at them.

"What? It wasn't my fucking fault! Stop staring at me like that! Dammit!" He hissed, turning his back on the other three and began to pace the back of the room yet again.

"Oh, wasn't it?" Lauren whispered softly, turning back.

Miroku sighed, beginning to count down under his breath, "5. . . . .4. . . . .3. . . . .2. . . . . 1-"

"Inuyasha! SIT, boy!"

"Aaagggghhhhh!!!"

Miroku shook his head and glanced over to catch Kaede's equally amused grin. They nodded almost imperceptibly, returning their eyes to watch the fight.

Inuyasha stood to his feet again, "INSUFFERABLE. . . .LITTLE. . . .WENCH!!!"

Lauren stuck out her tongue and flipped her hair. And with both arms flicked Inuyasha off again. Miroku vowed to make sure and sell tickets for their next fight, it was just too much fun to watch alone. Well, technically he wasn't alone but Kaede wasn't as much fun as other young adults.

Kaede chuckled aloud suddenly. And her laughter rose in pitch to a near hysterical note as she struggled to smother the laugh and failed miserably.

The others turned to gape at her as if she'd gone and lost her mind. The old woman only laughed harder and harder. Her three companions began glancing back and forth amongst themselves nervously.

Kaede sank back into her seat, her sides heaving and tears flowing down her old pale, wrinkled cheeks.

"She's a-hahahaha-a-hahahaha!"

Inuyasha stepped forward and grabbed Kaede's shoulders roughly. He then proceeded in giving the old woman a good shake.

"What in fucking hell are you talking about, you crazy old woman!?!"

Lauren slapped away Inuyasha's hands from the wise woman when she began to wince in pain. The half-breed snarled and took a step back, but Miroku stepped closer. The monk's interest was peaked, burning like coals in his eyes.

The teenage girl knelt before the laughing and panting woman. She subsequently began to shake Kaede almost as hard as Inuyasha had a moment before. A fact that didn't escape him as he raised an eyebrow at her.

Lauren caught his reaction but wasn't impressed. She tugged harder at the old woman.

"What about me? What am I?" she asked. Her heart began to race in apprehension of the answer she would be given. Kaede only looked up into her eyes and smiled.

"Relax, child," Kaede got a cup of tea and pressed it into the girl's trembling hands, "Drink it all, dear. Ye'll need it."

"Mistress Kaede, what was it that you were going to say about the girl?" Miroku also knelt into his former seat, looking over Lauren as she reluctantly sipped at her cup of tea.

"Well, I was merely pondering over why she would have the ability to control Inuyasha's necklace."

The other three nodded and waited for her to continue. She got herself a cup of tea and took a long sip.

"And I remembered that before my sister died she told me of the only three ways that ye'd be able to activate the necklace upon Inuyasha's neck. The one that she placed there fifty years ago."

"FIFTY YEARS!?!" Lauren repeated, shocked.

Kaede nodded.

"Aye. The first and most potent way was for her to activate it, or a current reincarnation of herself. Which this girl is clearly not. The second way was for a young girl who is exactly one-sixteenth demon, fourth generation. However, all half-breeds are visibly detectable and again the girl is clearly not this. Kikyo never told anyone, but sheµ"

"Kikyo was part DEMON!" Inuyasha's jaw hit the floor and Miroku's eyes nearly bugged out as they both jumped to the same conclusion. Lauren just looked very confused and lost.

"What does any of this have to do with me?" Lauren asked.

"I'm getting there and nay. Kikyo wasn't part demon, but she was an empath," Kaede said, a grin on her face. Inuyasha's head jerked up at that. His eyes slightly unfocusing and his breathing hitching in surprise.

Miroku caught Lauren looking at him and almost winked in encouragement. But he caught himself, stepping further away from the silver-haired teenager. Lauren waited for the connection of it all to her and was blown away when it came.

"Lai- Lae- Lauren," Kaede stumbled over Lauren's name, "here is an empath. Kikyo made the necklace sensitive to her own empathy and therefore to all empathy. If she would have ever gotten emotional enough the necklace would have activated on it's own, automatically working without the word of power. And ye," she turned to Lauren, "ye have now programmed it with the word of power being 'sit'."

"I have?"

"Aye," Kaede nodded. Lauren's hands began to shake and she set down the teacup before she could drop it.

Lauren's gaze came to rest on Inuyasha's necklace in a kind of awe. The teenage half-breed gaped, but froze as his ear twitched.

Miroku's eyes widened slightly and he began to whistle softly. He vowed to never let anyone near him with a necklace like that.

Out of the blue, Inuyasha's ears both twitched and he turned to face the door. All that was said forgotten for the present. He got to his feet in a smooth, flowing motion, resting his hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade, Tetsusiga.

"Someone's here," he said, sniffing the air, "I smell a demon . . . .and demon's blood!"

He clutched his sword's hilt tightly and headed for the door.

Miroku grabbed his staff and stood. Gone was his frivolous air and the mischievously playful smile. He followed Inuyasha to the door and through it.

Kaede began to shuffle through her shelves, muttering something about spell stuff. She began to pull down various bottles. A book in hand as she reached for a candle at the back of the deep shelf.

Lauren crept to the hut's single door, pulling back the cured hide to peer curiously outside into the light. Maybe she'd get to see a battle.

"LAUREN!!!"

TBC. . .

Remember to review! I'll update and add more chapters when I can. I'm going to try and finish at least chapters 5, 6, 7 and maybe even 8 before November. Because I probably won't be able to work on this at all next month. I signed up for National Novel Writing Month. But I finish up the fic as soon as possible.


	5. Two Old Friends

Chapter 5: Two Old Friends

"Aaagggghhhhh!!!"

Lauren screamed as she was attacked by a hyperly bouncing girl with black pigtails. The taller girl pulled Lauren into a very tight hug, squeezing the smaller red-head. Lauren sighed as the girl then began to pet her reddish-golden locks, muttering what sounded like, 'My precious! My precious!' to Inuyasha's very sensitive dog ears.

Lauren pushed away enough to finally see the face of the bouncing girl and shrieked as her suspicions were confirmed. Lauren gasped and hugged the taller girl back. The two girls shrieked together, then jumped up and down at the same time.

"Eva! EVA! **EVA!!!** What the hell are you doing here?" Lauren asked, her eyes colored bright with stunned disbelief.

The black-haired girl smiled down at Lauren with a deviously sneaky grin.

"What am I doing here!?! What are you doing here?!? I came to track you down to look for you! During second period I heard that a teacher had found your school books on the sidewalk in front of the school. So I got my tracking kitty and came after you!"

Lauren blinked, her mouth opened.

"No! you don't mean that. . . You brought her here! With you! Kilala!?! Are you crazy?!? She'll get eaten by one of those fucking demons that are running around!"

Eva smiled, snapping her fingers.

"Actually she won't. She is one of 'those' dangerous demons."

Lauren's eyes bugged out as a small flying fuzz-ball leapt into her arms. She looked down at the smallish yellow cat with large red eyes that stared back, black markings that was in a strangely symmetrical pattern, and two tails that danced merrily in her happiness. The cat's paws resting on her collar bones, Kilala licked Lauren's face in greeting.

Lauren blinked as if waking from a dream and buried her face in the soft fur. She clutched the cat-demon close to her chest. Eva smiled and petted the cat.

Inuyasha peered down at the small creature with a almost fiery glare. His gaze suspiciously watching where it put it's tiny claws and miniature fangs. Kilala narrowed her tiny eyes at the half-breed and hissed at him.

"A little touchy isn't it?" he said hotly to Lauren. The teenage girl rolled her eyes and soothingly stroked Kilala's back.

"Well, you know what! If you didn't look at her like you were about to try and kill, maim, or eat her, she probably wouldn't hiss at you!" she retorted.

Kilala began to purr and arch her back into Lauren's hands gently. Miroku edged around Inuyasha, inching closer to the pig-tailed girl. Inuyasha growled back at Lauren.

"I was not looking at her like I was going to try and kill, maim, or eat her! Besides cat-demons aren't anyone's idea of a delicacy. Except for maybe mortal's with a serious death wish," Lauren raised an eyebrow.

Miroku smiled at Eva and stepped closer. Eva looked up with wide eyes, regarding the handsome monk.

"Eva? Is it?"

"Uh. . . yes," Eva held out her hand, expecting him to shake it. But he took her hand and kissed it gently, kneeling on one knee before her.

"Would you bear my child?" Miroku smiled dazzlingly. Eva's jaw dropped, then she blushed. Snatching her hand away from the monk's grasp, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"No!" she cried out, now glaring down at the kneeling monk.

Miroku just stood up, moving closer however, pretnending perhaps that he hadn't heard her angry shout. He stood beside her a moment and Eva turned away from him. Lauren watched as her best friend's eyes widened and she slapped the monk across the face hard enough to knock him down. At Lauren's inquiring glance Eva blushed even more brightly.

"WHAT!?! He touched my butt! The pervert!"

Lauren's gray-blue eyes widened again and she stared down at the lecherous monk who started to get up. He rubbed his face and smirked snidely, even daring to wink at Lauren again, hoping that Inuyasha didn't catch it.

"But it was worth the pain!"

"Why you!" Eva fumed, picking up what looked, to Lauren, like a giant wooden boomerang. "You dumb perverted monk!"

She hit the monk over the head with it. Lauren burst into laughter. Eva then tied the huge wooden boomerang behind her back, crossing her arms again with a huff. Miroku slowly sat up, rubbing the large bump on top of his head.

Inuyasha smirked down at the young monk, unable to help himself. Eva turned towards him and pointed a finger at the silver-haired boy.

"What the hell are you laughing at hanyou!?!"

"You, of course," he chuckled coldly. Lauren began to tap her foot as he turned to the monk, who was finally making it back to his feet, "And him."

"Watch it!" Eva snarled at Inuyasha, "I'll hit you too, every bit as hard as I hit him. Kilala and I have killed youkai more powerful than you before, and we most certainly can do it again!"

Kilala growled at him, jumping from Lauren's arms to Eva's shoulder. Her tiny red eyes glaring heatedly at Inuyasha as her two tails wrapped around Eva's neck lightly.

"Yeah, right!" Inuyasha scoffed at the girl.

"You- you bastard! I-"

"Wait! Hold on a sec! What in the fucking hell is a hanyou and a youkai?" Lauren asked, confusion visibly swimming in her bluish-gray eyes. Eva tapped Lauren on the head a couple of times, hard, with her index finger.

"Hello! Is anyone home? He's a bloody hanyou," she pointed a finger at Inuyasha, "And Kilala's a youkai! You know, him, half-demon. Kilala, demon!"

Eva wiggled her index finger in Lauren's face. Lauren, much to Inuyasha's surprise, growled loudly and snapped at the offending finger that was in her face. Eva snatched back her hand and scowled.

"Hey! Don't try to bite my finger! It's mine! Bad Lauren!"

Lauren snickered.

"Well, keep it the fuck out of my face! You know good and well that I hate it when people stick things in my face!" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow when Miroku chuckled ever so softly.

A bad omen by anyone's means.

"Really? What kind of things?" Miroku laughed, dancing away from Lauren as she glared at him. Eva began to giggle as well, her eyes sparkling in amusement at Lauren's and Inuyasha's flushed faces.

Miroku's laughter then doubled as he hid behind Eva, ducking Lauren's death glare.

Eva giggled loudly, holding her heaving sides, her arms wrapped around herself. Suddenly she yelped, jumping more than a couple of feet into the air. Eva, when she landed again, quickly turned around to slap Miroku. But he dodged.

He ran around Lauren and leapt over the foot she stuck out in front of him, trying to trip him. The monk winked at the red-head, then ducked the large boomerang that came swinging straight at his head. Eva snarled, bringing up the boomerang for another swing.

Inuyasha growled and snatched up the monk as he ran past him. Clutching the monk's robes, Inuyasha pulled Miroku off his feet to leave the monk's toes showing from under his robes, hanging in mid-air.

Lauren smacked her forehead with a sigh, her anger momentarily forgotten. Eva dropped her boomerang and it hit the ground with a loud thump. Her eyes growing wide as she stared in shock at the jealous hanyou.

"Inuyasha! Put him down! You jealous oaf! I'm not even yours! I belong to no man!" Lauren proclaimed, slapping Inuyasha's arm.

The silver-haired teenage hanyou dropped the monk onto his butt and grabbed Lauren's wrist. Then he pulled her closer to him, within the circle of his arms.

"Don't you?" Inuyasha's breath was shallow.

Lauren glared up at him, their faces mere inches apart as they stared into each other's eyes. Bluish-green eyes snapping up at angry golden ones. Inuyasha's eyes suddenly softened and Lauren's eyebrows lifted in surprise. The hanyou pulled the teenage girl flush up against his taut body and covered her lips with his own. His hard mouth began taunting her tongue in a bruising kiss.

Lauren's eyes widened in shock before she felt herself melt against him with a sigh.

TBC. . .


	6. Pain And Hot Springs

Chapter 6: Pain and Hot Springs

Eva's and Miroku's jaws dropped simultaneously. Shock coursing through them as they stared bug-eyed at Inuyasha and Lauren. They gawked at the other two, at how close they stood, how tenderly their mouths met as they kissed so deeply.

Miroku pried his dark brown eyes away to glance at Eva, a sneaky smirk touching his pale, pink lips. The pig-tailed girl did not notice the eyes watching her until it was too late. The monk's hand suddenly shooting out to grab her hand, yanking her back against his firm chest.

Eva's wide eyes flew to his, confronting them. His smile broadened before he tipped her head back a little and pressed his lips to hers. Eva shivered as their lips molded together comfortingly. She pulled away abruptly.

"AAAGGGGHHHHH!!!"

Eva shoved Miroku back to fall on his butt when he lost his already precarious balance. Lauren and Inuyasha spun around, very suddenly remembering that they weren't alone, to see Miroku looking up at Eva with wide eyes.

The taller girl stomped away from the monk to grab Lauren's hand. Then pulled her along up the wooden stairs to where the old wise woman, Kaede, watched with curiosity. Snapping out of it, the old woman motioned for the girls to enter the hut as she stepped out of the doorway. She waited until both teenagers were inside before turning back to the two males.

With her one good eye she regarded first the flushed Inuyasha then the smirking Miroku. She shook her head, motioning for the two to stay outside.

"Ye boys go down to the lake and cool off, now. I shall speak with those two girls. Ye," she pointed a gnarled, old finger at first Miroku then Inuyasha, "And ye, both, shall keep ye hands to yeself!"

She shot them one last warning glare and moved into the hut, letting the door flap close behind her. Inuyasha stared after her a moment.

"Shit!" Inuyasha muttered. He nimbly leapt into a tall, old tree and sat on a twisted, and gnarled branch. The monk once again climbed to his feet and quickly wiped away the dust from his black and purple robes. Miroku smiled up at the scowling Inuyasha.

In vain Inuyasha tried to ignore the monk that called to him.

"Come, Inuyasha. Kaede, was right about bathing, if for the wrong reasons. After you being 'sat' as many times as I was dropped, pushed, and thrown into the dirt, face it, we both very disgusting and dirty." Miroku picked up his staff from where he'd dropped it and moved to the edge of the clearing. The monk turned back to look up at the thinking hanyou.

Inuyasha stared back down at Miroku a moment, then glanced over at the hut. The silver-haired hanyou caught himself, snorted, and dropped quietly to the ground. He started to join Miroku, but he hesitated. After another glance back at the hut, he brushed past Miroku and strode down the path. With a smile, the monk followed.

Meanwhile, Kaede motioned for Eva, the pig-tailed demon exterminator, to sit down before the fire in the hearth. The old woman curiously giving the girl a once over before reaching for the tea pot. She poured two cups of tea as Lauren sank into her former seat.

A soft smile on her lips, Kaede offered the two girls the cups of hot tea. Eva took one quietly, Lauren also took the cup that Kaede offered her without even looking up. She raised a hand to her lips, but she caught herself.

Kaede couldn't help the smirk that crossed her face when the red-headed girl quickly took a sip of tea. Eva looked over a Lauren questioningly as she growled, her anger returning.

"I can't believe that fucking creep! The nerve! Kissing me like that! And out of no where too! I'm not even his damn woman!" Lauren broke the tense silence with her ranting.

"And dammit! I'm most definitely not his wife! Eva, remind me to 'sit' the damn hanyou next time he even so much as thinks about pulling another stunt like that!"

Eva grinned, sat the cup down, and jumped to her feet.

"Yeah! And I need a bigger boomerang to hit that damn perverted monk with!"

Kaede got to her feet with a smile.

"So I take it that Lord Inuyasha and Lord Miroku are not very good kissers?"

The two girls looked over at Kaede with wide eyes of shock. Lauren's pale flesh showing the blush in her cheeks brightly while Eva's darker face only deepened a mere shade or two. They glanced at each other almost warily before Lauren spoke again.

"No. . . it's not that," Lauren muttered softly, her face burning a bright tomato red. "I-I mean, Inuyasha is the. . . BestkisserIveeverkissed."

Kaede chuckled when she deciphered what Lauren had said before she had ducked her head. Eva nodded thoughtfully.

"But it's the thought that he didn't even seem to care how you felt towards him before he began to try and paw you," Eva stated sagely. Her eyes only narrowed and stared at her hands in her lap as she frowned.

"I . . . kind of felt the same way."

The two girls sat back down quietly, lost in their thoughts as Kaede went over to her wooden chest. And the fire in the hearth flicked, throwing distorting shadows over everything in the small hut. The old woman dug out three clean robes and tied them into a bundle. Kaede turned back to the silently sitting girls and cleared her throat.

Lauren and Eva looked up a Kaede.

"So that's how it is, is it? Well, I know just the thing to cheer ya both up. As well as ease my old, aching bones," she smiled. "Come now, there's an old hot spring near the lake on the right side among the woods. It's even protected by wards against evil demons."

Lauren's face lit up in excitement. Eva's eyes also twinkled happily at the prospect. Then, picking up the bundle of robes, Kaede stepped forward to douse the fire.

"Yes! A bath sounds wonderful. Besides," the girl blushed again, "I kind of smell like him, like Inuyasha."

Eva smirked, her expression most unsettlingly like a certain perverted monk's teasing grin. Kaede nodded and the two teenage girls followed her out the door of the little hut. They blinked at the afternoon sunlight that filtered through the tree leaves to brighten the tiny clearing.

Kilala stood from where she'd been laying in the sun and leapt into Eva's arms. The pig-tailed chuckled before placing the cat-youkai on her shoulder. Kilala's red eyes watched the three women from her perch as they walked together down the forest's dirt path.

The three humans talked softly, enjoying the brisk breeze in their faces. But they never noticed the pale face that watched them, following them at a distance downwind. Eerie golden eyes seemed mildly interested while the purple stripes under the eyes blended seamlessly into the deep shadows of the forest. The expression on the pale face was blank, however, and as motionless as a marble statue.

Lauren felt a cold shiver run down her spine, tingling and strange. Her tried to ignore it, doing nothing more than glancing back down the path and seeing naught out of the ordinary, she paid the feeling no more mind. Eva called her attention back to the conversation and Kilala pounced onto the red-head. Lauren giggled, hurrying after the other two as the path cleared the woods.

They crossed the meadow, laughing at Kilala's antics. The small youkai was playing with an even smaller rabbit she'd startled from the bushes. Eva called Kilala to her as they reached the lake's shore and walked along the sandy edge until the forest grew up around it again. Then following this second path they headed to the hot springs past the thick undergrowth and tall trees.

The small group turned the corner on the path and heard quiet laughter. Kaede raised an eyebrow, shrugging as they silently walked closer. Following another bend in the winding path, they stopped dead in their tracks. Kaede dropped the bundle of clothing when Lauren backed up into her with a gasp.

The laughter suddenly stopped as well, a very surprised hanyou and monk turned to stare back. The warm water of the hot spring only coming to the waist of the two males.

Lauren's bluish-gray eyes left Inuyasha's handsome face and slowly drifted downward. Her gaze followed the trail of a drop of water. Watching as it slid down the pale column of his neck, to flow down the creamy flesh of his firm and toned torso, then finally back into the warm water of the hot spring.

Lauren's cheeks burned as she quickly snapped her eyes away, trying to look anywhere but the almost nude males in the spring. Inuyasha's pale face also took on a reddish tone when he noticed Kaede's and Eva's wide eyes still roaming over him and Miroku. He turned away and ducked his head.

Eva suddenly whistled appreciatively, breaking the tense silence that had settled over everyone. Miroku merely laughed.

TBC. . .

Notes: Remember to review! I'll update and add more chapters when I can. Have questions? Email me at and I'll answer them.


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